The government has secured the funds needed to inoculate children aged five to 11 years old against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Finance (DOF) said in a statement yesterday.
According to vaccine czar and National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 chief implementer secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the government expects the vaccination of 5- to 11-year old kids to start on February 7.
According to the DOF, it has signed agreements for an additional $800 million in financing for COVID-19 boosters along with vaccine doses for the pediatric population, which includes those below 12 years old.
Mark Dennis Joven, DOF undersecretary, said this additional loan amount would augment the current funding for pediatric vaccines and would enable the delivery of 30 million doses of Pfizer doses for the five to 11 age group.
Only Pfizer Inc. currently manufactures the vaccine against COVID-19 found suitable for children.
“From the previous loan, we’ve taken around 15 million doses for this Pfizer new formulation. From the new loan, we’re taking around 15 million doses… new formulation (of) Pfizer. So that gives us 30 million doses of Pfizer new formulation for those below 12 years old,” Joven said during a recent DOF Executive Committee meeting.
He added to date, 216 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for adults have already been delivered. This volume is more than enough to fully vaccinate the entire adult population, he added.
According to data from the Department of Health (DOH), 59.12 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of February 1 this year. This number includes both adults and minors aged 12 to 17 years old.
As of January 14 of this year, the DOF has raised a total of $22.55 billion in budgetary support financing in relation to its COVID-19 response from the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Agence Franí§aise de Développement, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Korean Export-Import Bank—Economic Development Cooperation Fund and foreign currency denominated global bonds.
In addition, grant and loan financing amounting to a total of $3.25 billion have been contracted in support of various projects to be implemented by agencies involved in COVID-19 response, the DOF said.
